Bicuspid aortic valve Health Article

Definition

A bicuspid aortic valve is an aortic valve that only has two leaflets, instead of three.

The aortic valve regulates blood flow from the heart into the aorta, the major blood vessel that brings blood to the body.

Alternative Names

Bicommissural aortic valve

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The aortic valve allows oxygen-rich blood to flow from the heart to the aorta. It prevents the blood from flowing back from the aorta into the heart when the pumping chamber relaxes.

Bicuspid aortic valve is present at birth (congenital). An abnormal aortic valve develops during the early weeks of pregnancy, when the baby's heart develops. The cause of this problem is unclear, but it is the most common congenital heart disease. It often runs in families.

The bicuspid aortic valve allows leakage of blood back into the pumping chamber (aortic regurgitation). The aortic valve may also become stiff and not open up as well (aortic stenosis). The aorta may become enlarged with this condition.

This condition is more common among males than females.

A bicuspid aortic valve often exists in babies with coarctation of the aorta and other diseases in which there is a blockage to the left side of the heart.

Symptoms

Most of the time, bicuspid aortic valve is not diagnosed in infants or children because it causes no symptoms. However, the abnormal valve can leak or become narrow.

Symptoms of such complications may include:

• Baby tires easily
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Rapid and irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
• Loss of consciousness (fainting)
• Pale skin

Signs and tests

Signs of a bicuspid aortic valve may include:

• Enlarged heart
• Heart murmur
• Weak pulse in the wrists and ankles

Tests that may show a bicuspid aortic valve include:

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart
• Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram)

If the health care provider suspects complications or additional heart defects, other tests may include:

• Chest x-rays
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Test of the electrical activity in the heart (electrocardiogram)
• X-ray of the heart's blood vessels using a special dye (angiography)